- Yes
- No
I would like to suggest the Gotha G.V twin engine long range bomber, with 20mm Becker M.II in the forward position, used both against air targets as well as for additional ground striking.
Gothaer Waggonfabrik was a metalconstruction companie, producing (not limited to) rides, planes and trams. Created in 1883 it multiple times changed the owner and production portfolio.
When the demand for planes steadily increased by the German army, in 1912 the Company tried their luck with planes, while at first under top secrecy, they supported the development of their own designer Karl Willing from Thüringen. However that designe shown to the officers in August of 1912 was denied.
As such instead of their own designes, they started to produce in 1913 the desinge of a biplane by Bruno Büchner. After multiple trail planes the production of a pallet of different models started, including Mono, Bi and water planes.
With the start of WW1, the construction of Planes was of high priority, as such from about 60 people (1913), the company expanded to 130 people in 1914.
Lutenant of the reserve Karl Caspar and his observer Werner Roos flew on 25. October 1914 with their Gotha Taube to england and dropped a 10 kg bomb at Dover, which was even the first bomb that hit the UK in WW1, which gave them and the plane a medal.
from 1915 the Großflugzeuge of the Gotha G.I series were build, which were over time further developed into the G.II to G.VIII developed by Hans Burkhard, with the G.IV having allready a capacity of 500kg bombs and 800 kg range and the G.V an impressive capacity of 1000kg and a range of 840 km.
Til the end of WW1 355 were produced.
While the normal armarment was only normal MGs, of each variant G.I to G.V some planes recived a increased armarment of 1 or more 20mm Becker M.II
General characteristics
- Crew: 3 (sometimes 4)
- Length: 12.36 m (40 ft 7 in)
- Wingspan: 23.7 m (77 ft 9 in)
- Height: 4.3 m (14 ft 1 in)
- Wing area: 89.5 m2 (963 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 2,740 kg (6,041 lb)
- Gross weight: 3,975 kg (8,763 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × Mercedes D.IVa 6-cylinder water-cooled in-line piston engines, 190 kW (260 hp) each
- Propellers: wooden fixed-pitch pusher propellers
Performance
- Maximum speed: 140 km/h (87 mph, 76 kn)
- Range: 840 km (520 mi, 450 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 6,500 m (21,300 ft)
Armament
- Guns:
2 or 3 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) Parabellum MG 14 machine guns
1 to 3 x 20 mm Becker M.II - Bombs: 14 × 25 kg (60 lb.) bombs
and bigger bombs (see pictures)
Such as not limited to 500 1kg Incendary bombs.
2 cm Becker M.II
Pictures:(Click to show)
One of the first modern type 20mm Cannon and served as the basis for the later Oerlikon 20mm FF guns. Using the API Blowback action. It was Intended as a AA and AT gun, on ground, vehicles and planes/airships. Later M3 variant was heavyer, reducing the fire rate to 250 rpm but velocity to 700m/s.
It was intended as 20mm, to not be a warcrime to have an explosive filling, overall the ammo layout was also quite modern, with multiple AP rounds, HE rounds as well as incendary rounds.
Caliber: 20mm
Ammo: 20x70mmRB Becker
Fire Rate: 325 rpm
Single Shot, Full auto, 15 rounds Magazin
Muzzle velocity: 490-500m/s
Weight: 30kg
Mounting: Main Tank gun, Fixed and flexible
Ammo Types: Ap-T, I-T, I, HEI, HE
Summary Of ammo Drawings:(Click to show)
(The drawing isnt fully correct, as the nose is too thinn drawn.)
AP:
Panzergeschoß L'Spur Modell 1 (ApI-T) 145g 490m/s 18mm/10m
(Can be conciddered ApI-T, duo to huge tracer filling, made of Barium Nitrate, Magnesium and Shellac of 7g.)
Panzergeschoß L’Spur Modell 2 (ApI-T) (Identical to first one, different head form, see in above summary.)
HE:
Sprenggeschoß Modell 1 (He High capcity, Fuzeless) 137 g
5,5g TNT + 0,5g Pieic acid 495m/s (See ammo Summary)
Incendary:
Brandgeschoß (I) 137g 12g Incendary 495m/s some penetration
Leuchtspurgeschoß (I-T) 144g Barium Nitrate, Magnesium, Shellac filler 11g 490m/s some penetration
(A bit incorrect here)
Quand les Gothas Bombardaient paris (Hallade Jean)
Gotha Aircraft of WWI (Jack Herris)
Gotha Aircraft 1913-1954 (Andreas Metzmacher)
Notes on German Shells 2nd edition 1918